Is WooCommerce cheaper than Shopify?

The plugin is free, but hosting, premium extensions, payment fees and maintenance add up. Compare total running costs, including someone’s time, not just software fees.

Can I keep my WordPress blog and use Shopify for the store?

Yes. Some businesses keep WordPress for content and run the store on Shopify, linked by navigation or the Buy Button. It’s more to manage, but it can be the right split.

Is Shopify or WordPress better for SEO?

They’re roughly level on SEO control. Shopify: Solid for product SEO; URL structure is fixed. WordPress: Strong with an SEO plugin such as Yoast or Rank Math, though themes can work against good settings.

Do I own my website on Shopify or WordPress?

Shopify (partial): Products, customers and orders as CSV; the theme has to be rebuilt elsewhere. WordPress (fully yours): Everything: files, database and content (via the built-in export tool).

Shopify vs WordPress

Shopify is the better choice for most small and mid-size stores: hosted, reliable and built for checkout, with less to maintain. WordPress with WooCommerce suits a business that wants full ownership, a content-heavy site with a store inside it, or unusual product logic, and has a developer to look after it. It often comes down to whether content or commerce leads.

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Side by side

Ratings are my own assessment for a typical small business, as of October 2026. Platforms change their features and plans often, so check the vendor’s current documentation before you decide.

Shopify vs WordPress comparison
	Shopify	WordPress
What it is	The hosted commerce platform most small and mid-size stores should start with.	The open-source CMS you host yourself, extended with themes and plugins.
Ownership and portability	PartialProducts, customers and orders export; the theme only runs on Shopify.	Fully yoursOpen-source. Export the files and database and host anywhere.
SEO control	StrongSolid for product SEO; URL structure is fixed.	StrongStrong with an SEO plugin such as Yoast or Rank Math, though themes can work against good settings.
AI-search readiness	GoodProduct schema in most themes; content pages are simpler.	GoodServer-rendered HTML and schema plugins. Depends on the theme.
Performance	GoodA fast platform; heavy app use is the usual cause of slow stores.	VariesCan be fast. In my experience it often slows as page builders and plugins pile up.
Design freedom	FlexibleThemes plus Liquid; headless for full freedom.	FlexibleUnlimited with a custom theme; template-bound with an off-the-shelf one.
E-commerce	SpecialistThe reason to choose it.	GoodWooCommerce is capable and flexible, with more upkeep than Shopify.
Maintenance burden	LightPlatform managed; app and theme updates need watching.	HeavyCore, theme and plugin updates, backups and security are on you.
Learning curve	GentleStraightforward admin; good stores take skill.	ModerateThe dashboard is familiar; doing it well takes real skill.
Pricing model	Monthly plan plus payment processing fees; most stores add paid apps on top.	The software is free. Hosting, premium themes, plugins and maintenance are billed separately, often yearly.
Day-to-day editing	The Shopify admin and theme editor.	The WordPress dashboard, often with a page builder like Elementor or the block editor.

Which one suits you

Choose Shopify if…

you want the store to just work without managing hosting or security
commerce is the main job and content is secondary
you value a trusted, fast checkout above full control

Choose WordPress if…

you publish a lot and the store sits inside a content-led site
you want to own the code and database outright
your product rules are unusual and need custom logic

The difference that matters most

Upkeep versus control. Shopify runs the platform, so updates, security and checkout performance are its problem. WooCommerce gives you full control and ownership, but plugin updates, backups and hosting quality are yours to manage, and a neglected store is a real security risk.

A Calgary food blogger with years of recipes and a small cookbook shop would lose too much leaving WordPress. A clothing brand where the blog is an afterthought would spend far less time on maintenance with Shopify. On either one, page speed depends heavily on how many apps or plugins you pile on.

Where each one leads

Counted from my ratings in the table above.

Shopify leads on performance, e-commerce, maintenance burden and learning curve.

WordPress leads on ownership and portability.

Best fit for Shopify: any business where online sales are the main job of the site. Best fit for WordPress: content-heavy sites with many authors and a lot of publishing.

Switching between them

Moving WooCommerce to Shopify is well-trodden: Shopify’s import tools bring products, customers and order history across, and the theme is rebuilt. Blog posts need importing or recreating. Moving the other way, Shopify exports products, customers and orders as CSV for WooCommerce importers. URLs change in both directions, so map them with 301 redirects before switching DNS.

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